and the bell rings.
by shaddow
Summary: A year after the game and squall has become caring for his friends. no longer a loner he must face his new feeling's and he faces a new problem with garden. also seifer is back and may be more trouble then he was before. chap 2 up. r/r enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Notes* all characters are square softs remember that please. This story is being broken in to many chapters and 2 parts. This is part 1 the calm. Read and enjoy. Please review, and drop me a line at my new email. abezley@earthlink.net Read, love, and peace.  
  
And the bell rings  
by:shadow  
prologue  
  
and the bell rings, it rings for life, and death.love and hate.pleasure and pain. contentment and jealousy. triumph and furious disappointment. it rings for us all. ready or not it will come. its rings are the tolls of life, and how we handle it shows what kind of persons we are.  
  
part 1  
  
the calm  
  
  
chapter 1  
  
squall stood naked, gazing out on to a rash green forest. his eyes seeing a million shades of green and brown, through the window he was looking out in the log cabin were he and rinoa had spent there honey moon.  
  
  
the sun was just over the tree tops. sending beams of light through the forest canopy to the ground. the beams changed position slowly as the sun moved thought the sky. as squall watched the changes of the light and pitch. he reflected back on how his life had changed in the year sence he meet rinoa and defeated ultimecia  
  
  
after the battle with ultimecia selphie put together a huge party that was held as the garden flew home to balamb. he didn't want to go. he was tired battered and bruised. but rinoa dragged him to it. the students come up to him all night, giving thanks and congratulations. he didn't know how to   
reciprocate there words. he just smiled nervously and shaked there hands. he didn't see the big deal this is what they had been trained to do. rinoa had stood there the hole time laughing and teasing him on his lack of social skills. after a while he finally got away to a balcony, and watched the ocean and stars with rinoa. holding and kissing for the rest of the party. That was the reward the wanted, not some party.  
  
  
he remembered feeling at peace for the first time. before when he realized he was in love with rinoa. he had felt happy but not at peace. there had been to many things looming ahead.[like staying alive in the chaos they went through.].  
  
  
later that night more peace as he and rinoa made love for the first and only time till this honey moon. looking back on it the thing he chorused most about there first time was after it was over. as he laid holding her felling a warm sleep coming over him. it was quite, joyful peaceful beautiful quite. for the first time in his life the quite thoughts in his head were not sad and lonely. that night had been a night of first's for him. "all because of rinoa" he smiled at that thought.  
  
  
when they got back to balamb the mayor of balamb city threw a parade   
rinoa,irvine,selphie,quistis,and himself were put on a float and driven through the town. he didn't want to go to that ether. but rinoa did what she always does. and took him by the hand flashed a smile and dragged him there. he remembered people cheering and tiny pieces of color paper falling like snow. his arm was around rinoa's waist and a nervous smile was again on his face. rinoa laughing at him had to pretty much force his other hand up to wave to people.  
  
  
selphie was eating it up making peace sings and waving both her arms at people. irvine stood there a smile on his face blowing kisses to every cute girl he saw. selphie saw him a few times and poked him in his rib cage. making squall and the rest of the group laugh. quistis stood there the   
hole time a modest smile on her face. arms behind her back occasionally waving to the crowd. he could tell that she didn't want to be there ether. but like himself she was making the best of it. and zell was just being zell. as graceful as he could be at times he was also clumsy. he had been   
showing off the hole parade doing backfilps and fighting moves. then he finally messed up as he always does when showing off and tripped over himself falling of the float and landing on his butt. they all laughed crowd included. he climbed back on the float and yelled at them for laughing. then   
started laughing with them. over all looking back on it squall was happy he had went.  
  
  
slowly things went back to normal. squall set up a counsel to run the garden. himself as commander,quistis in charge of student concerns, cid as head of administration kadowaki as the head of the medical department,and xu as the head of supplies and the gardens second in command. squall had often wondered why cid had chosen him as commander and not xu. she was 28 and the most experienced seed. she deceived it more then he did. he figured it was because cid had prepared him his entire life. from the time he come to garden when he was 5. by making him take classes in diplomacy and battle stages. cid wanted a trained leader and he was it not xu. he didn't like the idea that he never really had a chose in the matter. but he understood giving some one power who never wanted it but could do the job was a good way to insure fromcorruption.  
  
  
the only real problem he had in command all year was when seifer showed up to ask for reentry in garden. the counsel agreed that seifer wasn't in control of his action's. but if he had't disobeyed orders and stayed in garden. he never would have been in a place where're the sorceress could brainwash him. plus they feared it would distract the students to much. they all still held bad feeling from what he did. squall remembered telling him that he wasn't going to get back in and how he thought seifer would blow up and start a fight. but he just sat there with a rejected look mouth wide open. he had never seen seifer like that he actually looked hurt. after a minute seifer just got up and walked out of garden and no one's seen him sence  
  
  
squall felt sorry for seifer. he was a lot like him at one time just not as intense. they had know each other all there lives. they had grown up fighting. and in a way each other was a little responsible for the way the other become. he felt maybe if he would have walked away from the fights a few times things could have been different. he was sorry mostly because he could have ended up just like seifer. one or two things different and they would have been in each other's shoe's. he once heard that the line between cop and crock was thin each only a step from being the other. with   
seifer he finally understood that and it scared him.  
  
  
that was really the only hard thing he felt he had to deal with in the year sence they beat ultimecia. every body else settled in from what he saw. zell went on missions regularly. selphie went back to trabia for a month and helped with the rebuilding of her former garden.and was now back going   
on mission's herself. quistis become a instructor again to his delight. he always felt she was a great teacher. irvine become a seed and was also going on missions. and rinoa was pursuing a musical career. playing the piano just like her mother. he liked to sit and lesson for hours. in his opinion she   
was more talented then her mom was. her music helped clear his head from the days work. one night after she played in a bar in balamb, they had dinner and squall asked her to marry him. she said yes. he was surprised how nervous he was. he knew in his heart she would say yes, but when he showed her the ring his hand was shaking. and a voice in the back of his head keep saying she   
may say no. but when she said yes that voice disappeared. and it seemed like a weight was off his shoulders. rinoa laughed when he tolled her that. she said "silly boy did you think i'd say no."  
  
  
when they tolled every body,selphie instantly took it upon herself to plan the wedding with rinoa and put it together. and she did a good job he thought. the ceremony was beautiful. outside in a field of flowers. color's of purple,green,pink,and red in full bloom and it all had a wonderful sent.   
the reception was hold in the quad. zell was his best man. selphie was the maid of honor. he was so afraid zell was going to do some dumb thing and lose the ring. but he come thought and selphie caught the bouquet. then they went on there honey moon in a lovely forest near timber that was 3   
days ago.  
  
  
and as squall looked back. he saw that he had changed. he wasn't cold to people he'd let his friends in . and he was glad he did. he was sad before and lonely. be missed out on so much. he never really was a kid or a teenager. but now things could be different. he was happy that rinoa   
helped him out of his shell, and gave him a second chance. this had been the greatest year of his life. he wasn't doleful, he laughed and joked now. and although he knew trouble would most certainly come, as long as he had rinoa it would be ok  
  
  
Notes* I wanted this chapter to show what has happened in the past year. How those changes have effected squall. I think that after the final battle and once every thing settled down that squall would start to change more and more. I hope i have showed a little of that so far. stay tuned for   
more. In the next chapter we start setting up the main plot. So keep on reading reviewing and enjoying hopefully. [ I am bad at this writing thing huh?] 


	2. chapter 2

NOTES* every thing belongs to squaresoft not me. Hello welcome back and thanks for coming back for this chapter. Lots more going on here. I will not say, you have to read. So please do and review.   
  
  
chapter 2  
  
  
Squall turned away from the window and looked back at the bed. He smiled as he stared at rinoa who was still asleep. check on pillow, black hair falling just past her shoulders. the paleness of her back exposed to him. Legs warped in sheets of white. she is so beautiful he thought and as he stood there he thought about waking her with a kiss on that cheek he could see. "after all this was the day that they had to go back to garden. It would be nice to watch the forest with her before they leave." After a few more seconds of thought he decided not to. she was so peaceful, why disturb such a scene?  
  
  
Squall walked to the kitchen and poured the little bit of wine left from last night into a cup quickly he drank it, and walked back to the window to look at the greenery some more.  
  
  
It really was a striking forest he thought. he and rinoa had planed to walk around it in the days they where here, and take in the full majesty of the place, but they never left the cabin. In the 3 days they had lost themselves in passion, body's, and sheets. finally getting out the desires they held at bay for so long. he thought back on the last 3 days and was amazed at how much passion can just take over. They both had been like people possessed there only wish to please and explore each others body's. showing there love in new found ways. Before when he was a virgin he felt it would be more thought out." ok i did this now i'm going to do that". and maybe it was for others. But not for him and rinoa. Not that night at garden or here..he wasn't thinking he was just doing and feeling it all at once. sometimes fast and furious, sometimes slow and sweet, but always with love. a river of passion flowed out of them, never stopping just slowing and building up to get quicker again. At times it was overwhelming he understood now why people yelled and moaned. The emotion called for it.   
  
  
squall closed his eyes picturing all they had done. he couldn't focus on just one thing a million sights flashed in his mind all of them loving and exotic. . her body, her face, her hair, her eyes. her screams of delight. the devious smile she sometimes got. he could feel himself very aroused now and the   
thought crossed him that maybe he should wake her up. so that they could lose themselves once more., and just when he was about to turn towards her his mind made up. he felt her body on his back, one of her breasts rubbing against his spine, and her arms around his stomach. Then a soft voice in her ear." I hope no body passes by here they'll get a pretty good view of my husband". he opened his eyes, smiled and turned around putting his arms around rinoa and kissing her as he said Good morning". in her same soft tone. "good morning" she said with a smile her cheeks turned a tiny bit red as she felt his arousal on her belly." gee i wonder what you been thinking about" rinoa said in a playful tone. " don't worry its about you" squall said back as he kissed down her neck. rinoa whispered "god" and closed her eyes taking in how good that felt. like a waterfall of pleasure   
falling down her neck she rubbed his hair as he continued to nipping God her skin is so soft squall thought as he kissed some more. Both of them could feel instincts they had just recently began learning about taking over. A few minutes later they were in bed, getting lost again in passion .  
  
  
Losing themselves again as they did they also last track of time and had to rush back to timber to catch the train to balamb. There had been a rapidness to every thing back in the cabin. He and rinoa had to run through the cabin rooms throwing clothes into suitcase's and quickly get dressed having no time to pay attention to appearance. it took the most time to find the stray clothes that where thrown with out care during there love making.  
  
  
They drove fast to the city and ran furiously through the train station. It seemed to squall that they knocked down half the people that were walking by, and as they got on the train with minutes to spare he thought that they must have looked like thief's skipping town. with there hair uncombed and clothes sticking out of the suitcases squall laughed as he and rinoa huffed and puffed to catch there breath. " What " rinoa asked between huffs. "Oh nothing just thinking how we must have looked running like that. "rinoa smiled her breathing now back to normal. " Well at least you got a workout, look at you out of breath. married only 3 days and already your letting yourself go."   
Squall laughed and gave her a kiss on the cheek then walked with her to the seed private room.  
  
  
When they got there they dropped there suitcases to the floor. They both had the same idea. and made a beeline to the red couch in the back of the room. they sat next to each other. then rinoa slipped her head on to squalls chest, and he put his arms around her. They were both tired he thought, the honey moon had little sleep the hole time they had fought off fatigue with the force of there passion, but it had caught up with them as soon as they stepped on the train." i'm tired" rinoa said in a yawn. " me to" squall said eyes already closed, drifting off to sleep. "Wake me when we get to   
balamb" she said "ok" squall replied, and was going to say i love you, but the darkness growing in his mind swallowed up the words and he feel asleep. They both did and they slumbered all the way back to balamb.  
  
  
seifer sat, fishing pole in hand, getting more and more irritated as raijin jumped up with his tenth fish of the day hanging of his hook. "yeah i'm good at this ya know" raijin said as he danced around in a little circle holding the fish up. With irritated seifer even more then him catching the fish which   
seifer couldn't seem to do.  
  
  
As raijin continued to dance, seifer jumped up and threw his pole in to the water, "DAM IT" he yelled. feeling just as mad at his own inability as he was with raijin antics. fuck i am trained in fighting skills that take years to learn but i can't catch a damn fish. and why the hell does raijin keep having to do that, doesn't he fucking learn? he knows what's going to happen next. seifer thought as his hands went in to fist's his back still turned to raijin dancing.  
  
  
Just as seifer knew fujin walked up behind raijin and slapped him in the back of the head. "IDIOT" she said in her usual rasp tone. " haw that hurts ya know" raijin said bending down to get away from her hand and rubbing the back of his head. fujin grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him to face her. "heyyyy what don't hurt me". he said raising his hands and looking at her eye   
between his fingers. "Irritating" she said raising a eyebrow. Raijin stared at her for a sec then the light bulb went on in his head. He turned to seifer. "oh yeah, i'm sorry man i'm sure you'll catch on soon ya know" " Yeah seifer said waving the back of his hand at him. then he thought. This is   
how it was every time, raijin would catch a fish , jump around like a little idiot and get hit by fujin. then tell him he was sorry. Its how it happened today in balamb harbor, and its how it happened in fishermans horizon where they had went after garden didn't let him back in.  
  
  
seifer watched the ocean as raijin sat down and cast out again. the water was deep blue and with out a wave it sparkled in the sun. "we should have stayed in FH ya know. I'm catching all these fish, but i can't sell them at a good price here ya know. "BORING" fujin said. " Damn straight seifer agreed." there was nothing to do there" " yeah to you guys, but i loved it plus we where making good money ya know." raijin paused for a second reeling is line in a little. " besides what are we going to do here" " GOOD POINT" fujin said. seifer shook his head letting out a deep breath. a part of him wanted to yell at them, tell them to shut the hell up. That he didn't want to hear any voices right now. He mostly wanted to yell at raijin who had complained about coming here ever since he tolled them he was coming back to balamb. You didn't have to come. he wanted to say. But he didn't fujin and raijin were true friends who would follow him through thick and thin. They were the only ones who understood him he thought,. and the only ones who didn't think he was some evil man. He also felt responsible for them. because of his actions they had last there seed careers too. With all that he felt entirely in there debt. He only hoped he could make it up to them someday.  
  
  
raijin jumped up again another fish in his hook. "I'm good at this ya know". seifer punched his palm he was fed up and afraid he would yell at raijin. seifer turned and stormed off the dock " stay i'm going for a walk." he said as he passed the still dancing raijin by. raijin stopped and watched with   
fujin as he disappeared in to the town. " gee what's his problem?" raijin asked. fujin kicked him in the shin "IDIOT" The kick send raijin hoping on on feet holding his fishing pole in one hand the fish dragging on the dock, he rubbed his shin with the other hand. "OUCH that hurts ya know" " I KNOW" fujin said smiling  
  
  
seifer walked through town. hands tucked away in the pockets of his white trench coat that went down to his ankles that he always wore. He wasn't sure where he was walking to. He only knew that he wanted to walk. as he did he began to think. Raijin has a point, what are they going to do here? there was nothing for them here. most of the people in town hate us. in FH no one really knew them. plus they were making good money, and raijin was happy there. but i wasn't i hadn't been since i woke up from the sorceress brainwashing and found myself not a seed and rinoa in squall's arms.............rinoa he didn't even want to think about that. so he pushed it from his mind, quickly filling his thoughts with a song he had heard on the radio earlier  
  
  
As he continued to walk he saw dirty looks from every one he come in eye contact with. He could hear them talking as he passed " there he is the sorceress knight" " why don't they do something about him. "he simply ignored it, although the idea keep creeping in his mind to tell them all to fuck off and drop it, it wasn't his fault, but that would show that he cared what people thought about him, and he didn't......did he? people like rinoa maybe? no no NO! shut up mind he said to himself. Hyne he didn't know what he felt anymore. It was all jumbled in his mind. The only clear thing was a growing sense to find something in his life so that he wouldn't be a failure and that   
feeling was eating at him more and more.  
  
  
He come to a bench near the train station and sat down, head laid back looking up at the blue cloud less sky. He was trying to block the things he didn't want to think about, but it was a losing battle. He thought back on way he had come to balamb all in a hurry. How he had been sitting in a bar in FH and saw a news report of how Squall leonhart the hero who saved the world was getting married to a girl named rinoa heartilly as soon as he heard it a mixture or jealousy, hatred, and sadness filled his soul. He ran out of the bar packed his things and got the next train to balamb. He wasn't sure what he was going to do maybe kill squall, who he blamed for his current   
situation mr. hero was respected in the world. He could tell them all that it wasn't his fault, but he didn't ,and worse he threw a man he had know his hole life from his only home. It made him so angry. Squall saying that he couldn't let him back in, the counsel thinks its best. BULLSHIT.. just   
a lame excuse to toss blame on someone. the sorceress was gone so lay it on seifer. A part of him really wanted to kill squall. It was squall's fault not his that's all he told himself for the last year. he also thought that maybe he could just talk to rinoa, but what would he say..................... . HYNE DAMN IT he thought. stop thinking about her.  
  
  
He looked straight again trying to clear his head, when out of the crowd of people walking by he saw squall, arm around rinoa. a big smile on his face looking like he didn't have a care. Seifer almost jumped behind the bench so they wouldn't see him but stopped himself as they walked by not seeing him. He felt his heart drop weighted down with sadness as he saw rinoa, and felt his soul burn with rage as he saw squall. He had to sit on his hands to keep himself from grabbing his gunblade that was in his coat and driving it through squall's skull. " oh hyne why am i being tormented like this" he watched rinoa her dark hair and graceful steps until she disappeared   
behind a corner. He closed his eyes, he couldn't keep it from his mind any longer and he finally admitted to himself. He fought off tears as the words crossed his mind. " I LOVE HER."  
  
  
NOTES* Wow, well now the story is starting to get a plot, more to come more to see so keep on reading and reviewing. I really wanted to show a seifer that was tormented with himself and still held a flame for rinoa. I have not seen many fic's dealing with that. There is a moment in the game where rinoa   
talks about a summer with seifer. I wanted to write about that. that seifer may have fallen in love with her, and that when he turned back to normal that those feeling would still be there. Well more to come. please review and be honest i want to know if i am doing a good job. 


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